The other day I noticed I had some blueberries which needed using up and thought I would attempt to bake something. I say attempt as whenever I bake something 9 times out of 10 I have a disaster! However, this time I was pleasantly surprised that these cupcakes turned out great.
Happy New Year!!
I know I’m a bit late and I apologise for lack of blog posts but I have been super busy over the festive period in addition to college work and working on my business. For those of you who don’t know, I’m training to be a Holistic Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York. I’ve only a couple of months left before I graduate but I can start seeing clients now. If you are interested in learning more about what a Health Coach is/does then head over to my website http://www.rebeccapricehealthcoach.com
This post is going to be short but sweet (sweet because of the fudge…get it!) This fudge literally takes no time to prepare but you do have to wait patiently whilst it sets in the freezer.
I think chocolate and orange is one of the best flavour combinations and it works well in this fudge, but it does make it very more-ish..you have been warned!
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas with your friends and family and I’d like to thank you all for continuing to support me and my recipes!
xx
Ingredients
-1/2 cup almond butter
-1/2 cup coconut oil
-3 Tbsp. cacao powder
-3 Tbsp. maple syrup
-1/4 cup cacao nibs
-zest of 1 orange, finely grated
-juice of half an orange (approx. 3 Tbsp.)
-pinch of salt
How To Make
Line a small dish with lightly oiled clingfilm or foil (I use coconut oil) set dish to one side.
Put the coconut oil and almond butter in a pan over a medium heat and melt gently, stirring often.
When the mixture has melted, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Pour mixture into the prepared dish.
Place a lid on the dish or cover well with foil and place in the freezer to set.
Once fudge has set, remove from the freezer and cut in to small pieces.
Serve straight from the freezer.
The fudge stores well in an airtight container in the freezer.
Enjoy 🙂
Chocolate and peanut butter is such a great combination! I first tried this combination on my first ever trip to the USA and on a layover we tried some Reese’s Pieces whilst waiting for our next flight. I pretty much ate Reese’s Pieces daily throughout our holiday – not the healthiest but I was only 10 years old!
This bark takes no time at all to make and is easy to throw together. If you don’t have goji berries or pistachios on hand then substitute whatever you have available.
Cacao powder is different from cocoa powder as it hasn’t been roasted, toasted or cooked and therefore retains all its health benefits. Cacao is known as one of the most powerful antioxidant foods available. It also has a high magnesium content which helps with the function of our digestive systems, brain, heart and bones.
This recipe almost defeated me. I tried it so many times and I was never happy with the outcome for a number of reasons; too sweet, not sweet enough, didn’t rise, not gooey enough – I honestly thought I’d need to admit defeat and forget about it.
Thankfully a couple of weeks ago I had one last go and altered the recipe yet again and these delicious brownies were the result. At first I thought I’d had another disaster as they didn’t seem to set but I left them on the side to cool and they firmed up but still retained their gooey-ness. I had to taste test three in a row just to be sure I had finally got it right!!
I’ve since made the recipe a couple of more times and all were successful. Once you take the brownies out of the oven and allow to cool, when you slice them they will still be gooey, however, once you set them aside they’ll firm up further.
Makes approximately 9 brownies.
Ingredients
-1 cup mashed sweet potato (approx. 1 medium sweet potato)
-1 cup ground almonds
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 egg, beaten
-1/2 cup cacao powder
-3 Tbsp. honey
-zest of 1 large orange
-2 Tbsp. chopped dairy free dark chocolate
How To Make
Pre-heat oven to 180C/355F. Line a small baking dish with oiled parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients until fully combined.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish and top with broken chocolate pieces if using.
Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top starts hardening.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, slice in to squares (they will still be gooey at this stage) and set aside to firm up further.
Enjoy warm or cold.
These keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Enjoy 🙂
My favourite cake of all time is carrot cake with lemon drizzle coming a very close second. Both my grandmothers made wonderful cakes and whenever I visited either of them I usually made a beeline straight for the cake tin to see what was available.
I, unfortunately, did not get the ‘baking’ gene. I have had many baking disasters but I’ll keep trying and I’m sure one day I’ll figure it out!
These carrot cake balls are very more-ish but they do have a high sugar content due to the dates so they really are meant for a treat.
I’ve made them a number of times now and varied the dried spices and this recipe works the best. I roll some of the balls in desiccated coconut just to add another texture and flavour but you don’t have to. The balls are quite sticky but once they’ve been in the fridge they firm up nicely.
Ingredients
-1 large carrot or smaller carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
-1/2 cup walnuts
-1/2 cup cashews
-1 cup medjool dates, stones removed
-1 Tbsp. chia seeds
-1/4 tsp. ground ginger
-1 heaped tsp. ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. all spice
-1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)
How To Make
Place all ingredients except coconut in a food processor and blend until thoroughly blended.
If using the coconut place in a dish.
Take the blade out of the food processor bowl and using a tablespoon, scoop mixture out and roll between your palms in to a ball. Roll in coconut if using. Continue doing this until all the mixture is used up.
Place the balls on a plate and place in the fridge to firm up.
These keep well in an airtight container in the fridge.
Enjoy 🙂
I can’t stop making and eating these balls. They taste very similar to Ferrero Rocher which used to be my favourite sweet treat before I had to give up gluten and dairy. They are great with a cup of tea in the afternoon when most people get a sweet craving.
These are really easy to make and store well in the fridge for 3-4 days; they may possibly store longer but I never have any left longer than 4 days!
Makes 6-8 balls
Ingredients
-6 large medjool dates, stones removed
-2 Tbsp. cacao powder
-1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. roasted, blanched hazelnuts
-1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
How To Make
Place the dates in a bowl and pour over just boiled water. Let the dates stand in the water for 1-2 minutes until softened.
While waiting for the dates to soften, place the hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Remove 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts and place in a dish – this will be used to roll your balls in.
Place the dates, vanilla and cacao powder in the processor along with the chopped nuts and blend until all ingredients come together to form a ball.
Take some of the mixture and roll into balls between your hands then roll in the reserved chopped hazelnuts and set aside. Continue to do this until all the mixture is used up – should make 6 to 8 balls.
Place balls in the fridge until firm.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Enjoy 🙂
This is such an easy recipe to do and perfect if you need to do any last-minute gifts for Christmas, after all who doesn’t love a gift of chocolate?!
There are a number ways you can flavour the bark from dried fruit, nuts, candy canes, stem ginger, marshmallows etc. The choice is entirely up to you. The trick to a good chocolate bark is to use really good quality dairy free dark chocolate. If you can tolerate dairy then you can use milk chocolate to replace the dark chocolate.
I know it has been so long since I have posted a recipe that you may have thought I’d given up the blog. Fear not, I was just taking a wee break as my Dad came over to visit me for a few weeks and as I only see him once a year we had lots of catching up to do. However, I did get a chance to have him test a few recipes I’ve been developing and I’m pleased to say all were successful, so keep a look out for the new recipes coming soon!
Four Candles Kitchen 